The Progressive Army: US Army Command and Administration, 1870–1914

233 Pages·1998·15.02 MB·English

by  Ronald J. Barr (auth.)

THE PROGRESSIVE ARMY
The Progressive Army
US Army Command and Administration,
1870-1914
Ronald J. Barr
First published in Great Britain 1998 by
MACMILLAN PRESS LTD
Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS and London
Companies and representatives throughout the world
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN 978-1-349-26890-0 ISBN 978-1-349-26888-7 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-26888-7
First published in the United States of America 1998 by
ST. MARTIN'S PRESS, INC.,
Scholarly and Reference Division,
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010
IISSBBNN 997788--00--331122--2211446677--88
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Barr, Ronald J.
The progressive army : US Army command and administration,
1870-1914/ Ronald J. Barr.
p. em.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-312-21467-8 (cloth)
1. United States. Army-Management-History-19th century.
2. United States. Army-Management-History-20th century.
3. United States. Army-Organization-History-19th century.
4. United States. Army-Organization-History-20th century.
5. United States-Foreign relations-20th century.
UA25.B25 1998
355.3'0973-dc21 98-12706
CIP
©Ronald J. Barr 1998
Softcover reprint ofthe hardcover 1st edition 1998 978-0-333-71048-7
All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made
without written permission.
No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with
written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and
Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by
the Copyright Licensing Agency, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London WlP 9HE.
Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to
criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
The author has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance
with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and
sustained forest sources.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
07 06 05 04 03 02 01 00 99 98
To my
Parents
Contents
Dedication v
Contents Page vii
List of Maps and Tables viii
Preface ix
Acknowledgements XI
Chapter 1 Towards A New Century 1
Chapter 2 'No End of a Lesson': America and the
Spanish-American War 24
Chapter 3 Early Army Reform and the Election of 1900 49
Chapter 4 The Emergence of a New International Order 76
Chapter 5 Root's Army Reforms 100
Chapter 6 America and the Continued Extension of the
White Man's Burden 123
Chapter 7 International Suspicion and Fear of Japan:
1905-1908 152
Chapter 8 Military Preparedness and the Emergence of the
New Citizen Army: 1909-1914 177
Appendices 202
Bibliography 206
Index 215
Vll
List of Maps and Tables
MAPS
The Philippines in 1902 35
American Expansion in the Caribbean 1898 to 1916 143
TABLES
Table 1.1 The Average Age of both Staff and Line Officers
when they Received Promotion to a Specific Grade 5
Table 1.2 World Percentage of Industrial and Foreign Trade
1870-1910 7
Table 4.1 Percentage of all Army Officers at Each Grade
Likely to Serve in the Staff 81
Table 4.2 Battleship Numbers 1896-1906; Built and Under
Construction 93
viii
Preface
The late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries saw great social and
economic changes in the United States. The forces of industrialisation
created new sources of economic and political power both at home and
overseas which challenged American ideals of sustaining amateur, local
political control over an internationally isolated agrarian Republic. A
small group of politicians and military leaders sought to combat these
changes through attempting to alter the very character of the American
state creating an imperial, aggressive nation controlled by strong central
government advised by professionals. Such a society would regulate
industrial power at home while guaranteeing continued economic expan
sion by securing markets overseas. This debate over the future nature of
American political life was often characterised as one between Neo
Hamiltonian Republicans and Jeffersonian-Jacksonian localists. The
importance of this controversy over the future direction of United States
foreign policy and the nature of Federal government led to considerable
debate between key literary, religious, economic and political leaders of
the progressive era.
This work seeks to highlight this deliberation over the future nature of
American government and foreign policy by analysing the attempts to
reform the United States Army. The American government was late in
attempting to reform an army that had largely fallen into disrepair at the
end of the Civil War. A small group of reformers borrowed selectively
from American business management structures and various European
states including Britain, Germany, and Switzerland to create an army that
was responsive to central government control, planned for future wars,
and had centrally co-ordinated command and logistics. This new efficient
army was designed to secure a new American Empire.
The debate over army reform highlighted the strong tradition of suspi
cion and hostility to military reform directed towards the development of a
professional military establishment. In tum, proponents of military reform in
America beginning with Emory Upton and John Schofield at the end of the
Civil War, often had a thinly disguised contempt for the amateurism of
American political and military life. Army reform highlighted the determ
ination of progressive leaders such as Theodore Roosevelt, Elihu Root,
Henry Stimson, and Leonard Wood to achieve a more disciplined, profes
sional and ordered American army and government through the application
ix
X Preface
of European military ideas and American business management structures.
These men believed that only such a process of reform would guarantee that
United States economic and political ideals would significantly influence the
world. The ultimate success of Neo-Hamiltonian Republicans in making
these changes formed the basis for projection of military power by the
United States in the twentieth century.
Ronald J. Barr
Acknowledgements
While working on this project I received help from many people. In parti
cular I want to thank the members of the Caledonian Society of Baton
Rouge, the St. Andrews Society of Louisiana, the St. Andrews Society of
Washington, DC, the US Army Military History Institute Carlisle
Barracks, PA, and Louisiana State University all of whom contributed
funds for travel and research.
My research was also greatly aided by the library staff at Louisiana
State University, Tulane University, Jackson Barracks New Orleans and
the staff in the Library of Congress Manuscript Reading Room. Special
thanks must go to Dr. Michael Mier who helped make sense of the records
at the National Archives and to Dr. Richard Sommers and his assistant
Mr. David Keogh who provided generous access to records held by the
US Army Military History Institute. Mr. Al Elkins helped select prints
from the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC.
I must also thank members of the history and geography departments at
LSU from whom I learned much. In particular Professor Burl Noggle,
Professor Karl Roider, Dr. Meredith Veldman, Dr. Paul Pascoff, Professor
Sam Hilliard and Professor Carville Earle. Peggy Seale the departmental
secretary solved many problems. My major professor Charles Royster
deserves special mention for his insight, advice, generosity and patience.
While living in America I also made many friends who helped in different
ways with this project. I thank them all. My fellow graduate students
in particular provided invaluable friendship in a strange land and I thank
Mr. Craig Saucier, Dr. Marshall Schott, Dr. Bary Barlow and Dr. Jay
Peacock for all their support. Special thanks also go to Millar and Doddie
Dial, Steve and Ann Storey and Carol Kilby.
At University College Chester Dr. Roger Swift and Dr. Glyn Turton
gave advice and encouragement which can only have improved this work.
Lastly, I must thank my parents and my wife Alison for their generous
support throughout this project.
xi